Bordeaux River Cruise with CroisiEurope
By Heidi Sarna.
Aug 2024 Update: This review has been updated to reflect current pricing.
Bordeaux is the heart of the world’s most famous wine region. It’s set beautifully on a bend in the Garonne River in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France, not far from the Atlantic Ocean. The surrounding region is a vast carpet of emerald green vineyards dotted with golden limestone chateaux.
With France’s highest number of UNESCO World Heritage buildings after Paris, historical Bordeaux is an ideal embarkation port for wine country river cruises.
My family and I did a 5-night Bordeaux River cruise aboard CroisiEurope’s 174-passenger Cyrano De Bergerac round-trip from Bordeaux.
And here’s why you should consider a Bordeaux River cruise too.
#1 The Good Value
Fares include wine, spirits and a selection of excursions in every port, as do many other river lines cruising Europe; and CroisEurope’s prices are typically among the lowest.
#2 The No-Nonsense Everything
The long, white Cyrano de Bergerac, with just a thin band of bright green around the hull, was built in 2012.
The interior décor, based on white and blue with pops of color, embraces a simplicity of form and function; no-nonsense like the French themselves.
Along the same lines, service is straight forward and efficient, but never over-done or cloying.
#3 The Round-trip Itinerary from Gorgeous Bordeaux
The cruise is round-trip from Bordeaux in southwestern France, a lovely and historic city set along the Garonne River. The thriving café life and the city parks with their dramatic statues make strolling a joy. It’s easy to get around by foot, by bicycle and by the city’s famous tramway with its ground-level power supply system and no over-head wires.
We sailed a total of about 350 kilometers on our 5-night cruise, first heading north on the Garonne River from Bordeaux to the broad Gironde Estuary, formed by the confluence of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers; then southeast on the Dordogne to Libourne.
Needless to say, Bordeaux is a great city in which to spend a few nights before or after a river cruise.
RELATED: The Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel is a worthwhile splurge. Read my article about it HERE.
#4 The UNESCO World Heritage Sites
There are a lot of them.
In France, Bordeaux is only second to Paris for the sheer number of buildings listed as UNESCO World heritage sites; many are exquisitely restored 18th– and 19th-century limestone beauties.
During the cruise, you’re privy to even more UNESCO sites — citadels, cathedrals and cobblestoned streets — that go back as far as the 12th and 13th centuries, including the Citadel of Blaye and bits of Libourne.
#5 The Landscape
One of the world’s most famous wine regions, Bordeaux is carpeted in an undulating green quilt of grape plants dotted with golden limestone chateaux. Colorful wildflowers, flowering trees and winding country roads complete the scene.
Visit elegant estates and chateaux from the 18th and 19th centuries, and some newer, and soak up the grandeur. Sightsee via bicycle, foot, mini-bus or helicopter. The photo below as taken by me on our thrilling 20-minute helicopter ride.
#6 The Wine of a Bordeaux River Cruise
Of course the point of a Bordeaux cruise for most people is to enjoy the wine.
There are chateaux (large French country houses) everywhere, and many are affiliated with vineyards (small and large) that produce wines and invite visitors for a tour of the facilities.
Enjoy a peek at gorgeous old heritage buildings and their lovely gardens and rows of grapes.
You also learn the inner workings of a wine producer, and can gawk at the barrels, pumps, tanks, bottling machines, fermentation vats and other equipment.
#7 The Convenience of a Bordeaux River Cruise
The Cyrano De Bergerac pulled right up into the center of each town and the walking and biking tours we signed up for left from the dock.
There were also bus tours to nearby towns and villages. No excursions lasted more than four hours, so there was plenty of time to explore on our own or go back to the boat to relax.
#8 The Bicycling Opportunities
I love any destination that’s conducive to exploring by bike and the Bordeaux region is ideal. There are biking paths and lanes in many places, including the city of Bordeaux, and many small bike-friendly roads between the vineyards. CroisiEurope recently began offering a set of more active excursions, or “dynamic” as they call them, that includes guided bicycle rides.
We signed up for two — in Pauillac and in the city Bordeaux where the boat was docked the last day and night of the cruise — and enjoyed the wine and cheese tasting at the end.
#9 The French Way
Many river cruise lines offer a very North American-focused river cruise experience in Europe, including Viking, AMA and Uniworld. Grand Circle takes it a step further, with mostly North American passengers, food and onboard vibe.
There are far fewer lines with a strong European flavor that still welcome North Americans. CroisiEurope is one of them (Germany’s A-Rosa is another).
Owned and operated by a French family since 1976, in the past few years CroisiEurope has started focusing on cultivating other markets, namely North Americans, while still keeping things pretty French. Announcements and entertainment are in both French and English (and German if necessary).
#10 The French Food
Breakfast was served buffet style, and at the center of each table was a large elevated tray of croissants and French bread rolls to get you started. Lunch and dinner were from set menus — the traditional French service. If you had dietary restrictions (my husband doesn’t like dairy products and none of us eat beef), you mention that at the beginning of the cruise and the galley makes amends.
Otherwise, it was a three- or four-course meal that you could read about each morning on the cabin TV — channel #94. It seemed nearly every lunch or dinner featured duck in some away, a French staple.
It became a family joke in no time: “what’s for lunch (or dinner) today?” “Duck!!”
#11 The French Wines Included in the Fares
On virtually all of its cruises (all except some winter sailings), CroisiEurope includes a selection of wine, beer, spirits and soft drinks in the rates (finer wines and spirits, and things like Perrier water are extra).
On our Bordeaux cruise, there were 8 to 10 French wines to choose from each day — a combination of red, white and rosé. Most passengers enjoyed a glass or two (or more) at lunch and dinner, and some in between meal time as well. Wine lovers will be in heaven.
#12 The Family-Run Vibe
CroisiEurope is a family-owned business and indeed, to us, the onboard vibe felt like it. Michele, the French purser/hotel manager has been with the company since 2004. He gave the impression of being the responsible, firm uncle who keeps things running smoothly.
Dinah, the Portuguese cruise director (who also ran the “shop” on board and conducted exercise classes) was the friendly upbeat sister you always wanted. Our captain was the father figure, a strong silent Frenchmen who didn’t speak English, though the old salt offered an easy smile and a gravelly smoker’s “Bonjour” that seemed very apropos.
#13 The Authenticity of a Croisi Europe Bordeaux River Cruise
We liked that the cruise felt authentic and quirky, not a cookie cutter overly scripted brand-happy machine. Some crew were very warm and friendly (like our waiter Sam) and others weren’t particularly doting. Everyone worked hard and did a fine job keeping the boat sparkling clean and the dining and excursions well executed.
Neither the décor nor the service were over-done or in your face.
There was a subtly and an earnest dependability that, to me, was appealing and felt very French.
Interested in this Bordeaux River Cruise?
CroisiEurope is offering 5-night Bordeaux river cruises starting at $2,151 USD per person. Here’s more info.
Note, Croisi also offers cruises Bordeaux river cruise itineraries as short as four nights and long as seven.
Subscribe to our monthly small ship cruise email
Subscribe to QuirkyCruise.com for monthly curated newsletters highlighting our top small cruise ship reviews, round-ups & offers!
Love it! I enjoyed a Bordeaux Cruise with Viking and visited some chateaux whose wines have been favorites for years. Bordeaux itself is a treasure, as Heidi points out. It would be fun to return and bike around. Thanks for the story and photos!
🙂
We both loved our three (so far) Croiseurope river cruises — Rhone NORTHBOUND, Seine eastbound, & RHINE from Basel to Amsterdam.
The routes couldn’t be any more amazing, and accompanied BY wonderful food & awesome staff so willing to help, nothing could be a finer value in river CRUISING!
I’M wondering if there’s been a significant UPTICK in the number of English speaking Americans on board in recent years — we are surely hoping so for this wonderful values-filled family-owned company!
Thank you!
Dear Michele, great feedback! We’d love if you could do a Reader Review(s) for your recent CroisiEurope cruises, to share your experience with other travelers. Here’s a link. https://quirkycruise.com/quirkycruise-reader-review-form-index/
Many thanks!